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Has it really been almost a month since our last post?!? I completely apologize for that, but things are getting a little crazy around here – wedding planning, party planning, traveling, organizing a cross-country move…it’s all just taking a bit too much of my time, and sadly, I’ve resorted to grilling chicken breasts, warming up Lean Cuisines, and just eating all around boring, mundane food on a daily basis. I have a whole slew of interesting things we’ve whipped up in the past few months sitting on the computer waiting to be posted, but it actually takes quite a bit of time to get those things out of the folder and onto the blog! But, I’m happy to say that I’m back in action, and so excited to share these two amazing Asian salad recipes with everyone.

I absolutely adore eating out in restaurants. I love trying new dishes, ordering a glass of wine I’ve never had the pleasure of drinking before, people watching, and most importantly, gaining inspiration for new things that I can re-create in our own kitchen. Both of these salads were inspired by things I’ve ordered in restaurants, and although I used some ideas from recipes I uncovered online, I pretty much tweaked these into my own, absolutely unique concoctions. I don’t know what it is about ordering a salad in a restaurant, but it always seems like it’s SO much better than any measly bowl of greens and protein you can throw together at home. Part of the problem seems to be home-made salad dressings. You can find any and every type of salad dressing under the sun at your local grocery store, but in the process of making these two dishes, I discovered the joy and ease with which you can whip up your own at home and tweak it to your heart’s content. I am obsessed with both of these salad dressings, and you are more than welcome to just use those parts of the recipes and skip out on or alter all the other salad ingredients. I guarantee that whatever you use these dressings on will be out-of-this-world delicious!

In a blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients on low speed until smooth. Taste, and adjust for seasoning with salt, pepper, or more mustard or honey, depending on how sweet or tart you like it.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine flour and salt in a small bowl, put egg white in another shallow dish, and put the Panko in another small bowl. Pat the chicken breast halves totally dry with a paper towel, and then dredge each breast half in the flour/salt mixture, then the egg, and finally the Panko.

Heat ½ tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken once breaded, and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the crust begins to crisp. Add the other ½ tablespoon of olive oil, flip the breast, and then crisp that side the same way.

Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil, then transfer the browned chicken breast halves to the sheet. Spray the chicken liberally with cooking spray, then bake for 5-6 minutes, flip the breasts over, and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slice the chicken breasts on an angle, then combine the romaine, cabbage slaw, and scallions in a large salad bowl, and then add the cooked chicken slices. Toss well, and then add the chow mein noodles and the almonds as desired. Split into two large bowls, and top with as much dressing as desired.

In a blender, combine the sherry wine, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, peanut butter, chili oil, honey, and sesame oil. With the motor speed set to the lowest setting, slowly add the canola oil until the mixture is fully combined. If the dressing is too thick, add a little bit of warm water. Taste, and season accordingly with salt and pepper if desired. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or use immediately.

In a shallow dish, marinate the chicken in the teriyaki sauce for at least 1 hour, or cover and leave overnight. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat, and once hot, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Grill each side of the chicken breasts until nicely browned, about 5 minutes each side, and cook the chicken until the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken from the pan and slice on the diagonal.

In a large bowl, combine the romaine and cabbage slaw, tossing to mix well. Add the warm chicken, the scallions, and the chow mein noodles and sliced almonds. Mix everything well together. Separate the salad into two large bowls or plates, then dress with the vinaigrette as desired.

I’m going to be honest and tell you that these are two complete copy-cat recipes that I whipped up with a little help here and there from what I could scrape together online. The first recipe, Chinese Chicken Salad with Sweet Honey Dressing, is a dead-ringer for the Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad. The dressing is nearly indistinguishable from the original, but I did an oven-fried version of the chicken to cut back on calories. The other salad, Asian Slaw Salad with Teriyaki Chicken and Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette, doesn’t necessarily come from a single source, but from lots of salads dressed with a spicy vinaigrette. It’s fantastic, as is anything that uses peanut butter as an ingredient.